Col du Galibier - St Michel-de-Maurienne

St Michel-de-Maurienne over Telegraphe to Galibier on Jully 1 with friends Brad Honnold and Mike Coyne, comfortable ride over Col du Telegraphe on fresh graveled road, down into Valloire and then straight up to Col du Galibier with brutal head winds and rain for last 5km. Have also climbed Galibier from Bourg d''Oisans via Col du Lautaret and enjoyed both climbs.

My personal climb rating:

I completed this climb as part of a tour. What a treat. Completing Telegraphe, while difficult, was actually a fun climb, legs felt great at the summit. Then, the work begins. 18 kilometers of unrelenting climbs. I never thought I''d love to see 7% on my Garmin. What makes this such a great climb are the amount of people doing it. While the summit is windy and barren, it''s an atmosphere like no other, very festive with people celebrating making it to the top. I loved it!!!!!! The descent wasn''t much fun, probably my fear of heights and too-fast descents are to blame. A five for difficulty and a five for fun. I''d do it again in a heartbeat.

My personal climb rating:

A classic must-do climb. I rode it 3 times from Valloire and once from Biacon during the past Summer as part of my cycling holiday of a lifetime. It starts as a tough drag which batters you then the ramps kick in; the first one is very frightening the second is subtle and plays with your head the last one (over the tunnel) is the real killer

My personal climb rating:

Climbed the fabled beast, Telegraphe + Galibier from St Michel de Maurianne on July 25, 2008 as part of a 16 day cycling vacation in the French Alps. This is a monster climb, over 21 miles (35 kms) long. Although, not the hardest of the climbs perhaps, because of its history in the TdF - its is on every climbers list. The first section from St M de M. meanders thru a forest until you reach the first summit, Col du Telegraphe. This was harder than expected, not to be under estimated and taken lightly. You descend for a few miles to Valloire. From here on, the real work begins, 11 miles (18 kms) to go. By this junction, the heat and humidity of the valley gradually subsides as you steadily gain altitude. After Plan Lachat, the summit seems awefully close, but cruelly the last 2 miles (3 kms) are the hardest. By now, you are over 8,000 above sea level and the air is getting thin as you battle both the slope & altitude. But 3 hrs 1 mins. from the start (with a water stop at the Telegraphe), Success!! All in all - a beautiful climb - distance, a shade over 21 miles (35 kms), that alone made the trip worthwhile. Cheers.

My personal climb rating:

Incredible climb. Starting at the foot of the Telegraphe you can see the sign: tunnel Galibier 34 km. First km of the Telegraphe are more difficult than the others, but is a fairly easy climb. However , it is only the beginning.. After the descent to Valloire the actual climb (and the most difficult part)to the Galibier starts at Plan Lachat. From here its 8 km of wonderful hard working to get to the top. Notice the tunnel at the top en the monument at the other side, in memoru of henri desgranges, founder of the Tour the France

My personal climb rating:

What a thrill to ride up the Galibier this July the day before the Tour climbed it. I was able to rent a pretty decent road bike in Valloire, where we were staying. They were able to loan me some Look pedals at the bike shop, so I could use my own cycling shoes....I thought that I might have to rent a mtn bike and ride in running shoes. I felt lucky that day. It was a perfect sunny cool day.....well, except for the 20mph wind coming down the valley and into my face. The lower slope from Valloire is not too steep , but the wind made it pretty hard. At around 10K the road finally switches to the west and the wind was at my back...perfect, because this is about where the grade kicks up and stays pretty steep the rest of the way.Even though the swithbacks change direction frequently, at least some of the time it was not in my face...and after a few more kilometers I got some protection from the peak to the east. The road was lined with camper vans and fans holding the best viewing locations for the Tour. They had their flags flying and many had nothing better to do than to cheer the amateurs like me in various languages.....I mean, I think they were cheering....? I rode around Didi "the devil" so as not to disturb his pavement painting....yes he was in full costume the day before and painting the road as the gendarmes watched.The last kilometer was tough....about 10% , but what a feeling getting to the summit of that legendary Col. The scenery was spectacular....the people yelling made it a real Tour fantasy ride. My girlfriend drove our rental car ahead and videoed about a half hour of my ride. She also had a great time meeting people all the way up...including Didi.It will be fun to watch on the trainer this winter. The next day we hiked up 7 miles to a spot which overlooked the valley on a steep ramp to watch the pros climb quite a bit faster than I did.....I think I could have hung with the gruppetto....maybe.